And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke 2:4-7
I grew up seeing depictions of the story of the birth of Jesus. These stories often showed uncaring, grumpy depictions of a inn-keeper, turning Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary away. These stories showed Mary and Joseph, isolated and alone save for a few barn animals in a cave. History actually tells us something different.
According to scholars, homes in Bethlehem at the time of the birth of Jesus were frequently divided into three rooms: a family room, a guest room, and animal quarters.* Each of these rooms often had their own entrance. The family room and guest room were divided by a full, floor-to-ceiling wall.* Meanwhile, the animal quarters and the family room were divided by a half wall.* This allowed the family to feed animals without going outside into the elements.* This would have been the “inn” in which Joseph and Mary could find no space.
The word we read in english as “inn” actually referred to one such guest rooms, and not a commercial establishment like what the Good Samaritan would have utilized (Luke 10:29-37).* When Luke tells us that there was no room, he meant that the guest room of the family home that they were staying at as guests (due to travel for the census) was full.* So, Joseph and Mary stayed in the animal quarters, which was connected to the family room.* This implies that they would not have been alone for the birth of Jesus, nor would Joseph have been solely responsible for the birthing process.
Scholars also believe that Mary and Joseph didn’t have Jesus right after they had arrived, but most likely were there for awhile, and moved from the crowded family guest room to the stable area for the birth.*
What does this mean for us? It means a lot, but think about this: how might the home-owners have changed the arrangements had they believed that Jesus was the coming Messiah? What room would they have offered?
What room do we offer Jesus in our lives?
When Jesus comes to us unexpectedly, asking us for space in some area of our lives will we send Him to the animals with a promise of safe care, or will we allow Him to use the entire space of our lives as He sees fit, even if we think it’s too full?
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to make room for Him. Perhaps today there is a space in your heart that you have been hiding from Jesus, and today God wants you to open up your whole life to Him. Maybe today God wants you put Him first.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 2:1–7). InterVarsity Press.
Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (pp. 119–120). Zondervan.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 71–73). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Liefeld, W. L., & Pao, D. W. (2007). Luke. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, p. 76). Zondervan.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (pp. 83–84). Zondervan Publishing House.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, p. 206). Baker Academic.
Nolland, J. (1989). Luke 1:1–9:20 (Vol. 35A, pp. 105–106). Word, Incorporated.